Official of Laudato Si’ Movement Challenges African Development Bank Group to Ensure Equitable Climate Financing

The Laudato Si’ Movement official commended the funding but noted that “the financial resources for achieving true climate resilience in Africa are still insufficient.”

According to a statement that  APO Group, a leading Pan-African communications agency circulated on Monday, September 2, the financing was approved at the Fund’s 39th Board meeting and comprises a $90.7 million grant and a $60.3 million loan.

The statement indicates that the financing will support AfDB’s “Building Climate Resilience for Food and Livelihoods in the Horn of Africa program,” benefitting 4.6 million people across Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

In the statement, the Horn of Africa is acknowledged as the most susceptible to climate-related risks, such as erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and increasingly frequent droughts and floods. 

“These conditions have exacerbated socioeconomic challenges and threatened the livelihoods of agro-pastoral communities reliant on rain-fed agriculture. Climate change has led to increased livestock, crop and human diseases, and land degradation, reducing productivity,” the statement reads.

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The AfDB will administer the new financing and monitor the program, beginning in the first quarter of 2025. 

The implementation will be carried out over six years by the respective ministries responsible for finance and agriculture in the five target countries. The project interventions are expected to benefit communities for 25 years.

In the September 3 interview, Ms. Kitisya expressed her concern about balancing the urgent need for climate resilience, with the potential risks associated with additional debt and the continued reliance on fossil fuels.

“The current funding (a $90 million grant and a $60 million loan) risks worsening the region’s severe debt crisis,” the Kenyan Laudato Si’ Movement official said during the interview.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.